Margaret Mabry is an active college student who enjoys hikes, bike rides, and swimming.
She shares most of her adventures with her followers over on TikTok and recently Margaret posted a video that took the internet by storm.
During her hike with a group of friends, Margaret spotted an unusual, yet adorable animal hiding between some rocks.
She immediately took out her phone to record the animal, not knowing what it was. It reminded Margaret of a hamster, so she nicknamed the tiny creature ‘Mountain Hamster’. As she said in the video:
“If someone wants to enlighten me on what that is, please tell me. It’s the cutest little thing.”
One more thing Margaret shared about the tiny creature was crucial for her followers to instantly recognize what animal it was. As she mentioned:
“Whenever it squeaked, I screamed because it was very loud. Please tell me what that is.”
Sure enough, her followers immediately recognized the adorable animal and informed Margaret that she encountered a Pika! As one comment put it:
“Pika! They run around with bunches of wildflower in their mouths sometimes! They’re so cute.”
If you don’t know what a Pika is, it’s an adorable animal that looks like a giant mouse but it’s closer related to rabbits!
These sweet creatures survive during the winter with their stashed wildflowers, which they collect in the summer months!
However, according to the Colorado Pika Project, these tiny animals are suffering due to climate change.
While they remain present in North America, their habitat is rapidly shrinking due to rising temperatures and their vulnerability to climate change.
Margaret is truly lucky to have had the chance to encounter such a sweet animal in its natural habitat!
Make sure to watch the video down below and see the adorable ‘Mountain Hamster’ for yourself!
@madebymarg PLEASEEE tell me what this is #mountain #hiking #colorado #wildlife #mouse #hamster #outdoors #nationalpark ♬ original sound – marg